Mixer type ladle



Nov. 30, 1943. H. L. McF 2,335,781

MIXER TYPE LADLE Filed Oct. 24, 1942 3. Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 30, 1943. H. L. MGFEATERS 2,335,7 1

MIXER TYPE LADLE Filed Oct. 24, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 30, 1943. H. L. McFEATERs MIXER TYPE LADLE Filed Oct. 24, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR M l? 77L9uiu l atcntcd Nov. 30, 1943 i UNITED Y STATES PATENT OFFICE t m L. McFcaters, New Castle, 1a.,

assignor to Pennsylvania Engineering Works, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October :4. 1m. sci-n1 No. 463,185 g 6 claims: (class-s9) This invention relates to hot metal mixer type ladies used on transfer cars for carrying molten metal from the blast furnace to the hot metal mixer or p18 casting machine.

Hot metal mixer type ladies of various con-' structions and designs for use in the make-up of transfer cars have been suggested and many are disclosed in prior art patents.

An object of this invention is to produce a free-flowing mixer type ladle.

Another object of this invention is to produce an improved mixer type ladle having a closure for a portion of the top thereof which provides effective and improved pouring characteristics.

Another object is to produce a shell for mixer type ladles having a substantially semi-closed top, which can be produced from fiat metal plate joined together by weld metal into a rigid structure without requiring any complicated -meta1 drawing operations. I

A further object is to produce a high capacity mixer type ladle having upper walls that partially close the top of the ladle, and which, with oppositely positioned pouring openings, greatly facilitates pouring and reduces the tendency to skull.

A further object is to provide a design of shell I for a mixer type ladle which lends itself to relatively cheap manufacture, from plate metal by simple bending and welding operations.-

A still further object is to produce an improved high capacity mixer type ladle with upper walls which partially close in the top, and in efiect cause such walls to serve as pouring spouts of gradually decreasing volumetric capacity from the longitudinal center of the ladle to the pouring openings in its side walls.

These, and other objects which will be apparant to those skilled in this particular art, I attain by means of the structure described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this application.

a In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mixer type hot metal ladle embodying this invention;

Fig, 2 is a more or less diagrammatic view in side elevation of the ladle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a development of cone sections such as used in making up one half of the top portion of the ladle of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a transfer car carrying a ladle such as disclosed in Fig. 1 with a portion of said ladle broken away for the purpose of illustration;

Fig. 5 is-an end elevational view of the car and ladle of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of mixer type hot metalladle embodying this invention; and

Fig. 7 is a more or less diagrammatic view in side elevation of the modified ladle of Fig. 6.

Referring first to the form of ladle of Figs.

1 to 5 inclusive, the ladle shell comprises a main or central portion which is substantially U- shaped in transverse section, end portions which are formed as frustums of cones and an upper portion which partially closes in the top of the ladle and is formed as sections of cones of steeper angle than that of the end sections.

The straight walls lO-lll of the central por-- tion join the semi-cylindrical bottom ll ofsuch portion opposite the longitudinal center of the ladle as shown in the drawings.v Walls l0-ll| gradually decrease in width from the semi-cylindrical bottom portion to their tops as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. At their widest part, these walls are slightly narrower than the semi-cylindrical bottom portion, and thus form offsets l2-l2.

Each wall ill at its top is provided with a pouring opening l2 which is preferably curved and provided with an outwardly extending lip it.

Each end portion I5 is formed as the frustum of a cone having its apex positioned at point a. A circular plate It forms the top of each such frustum, and encircling the top or outer end of each such frustum is a built-up trunnion pad ll which is provided with the usual trunnions l8, l9 and 20. These pads are preferably secured in place by means of rivets 2|, although if preferred the trunnion pad may be welded inplace. The top of the ladle shell is partially closed in by two cone sections each of which as an entirety is numbered 22. A development of one of these sections is illustrated in Fig. 3, and each such section is preferably built up from four pieces of flat plate such as pieces 23, 24, 25 and 26. These are welded together-and then bent to form sections of a cone having its apex at b, which, as will be seen, is further removed from the center of the ladle than apices H.

joined by weld metal,

along its inner edge and forms a retainer for the refractory lining.

The semi-circular part of the central portion is provided with oppositely positioned lugs 28 to which a crane hook can be attached for tilting the ladle toward either side about trunnions I! or 20, as the case may be.

It will be apparent that when the ladle is tilted toward either side for the purpose of dwcharging molten the down tilting side, from the center oi .the

' and '7 of the drawings.

metal therefrom, the upper part of ladle to the pouring opening on that side, serves as a spout which gradually decreases in size from the ladle center to the pouring opening. It will also be apparent that suchspout is formed of three walls that converge to the pouring opening and are free of projections and pockets which might cause eddies in the flowing metal, or obstruct'such flow and have a tendency to cause skulling.

The ladle shell of the modified form of Figs. 6 and 7 comprises a which is substantially U-shaped through any transverse section thereof, end portions which are formed as frustums of cones and an upper portion which partially closes in the top of the ladle and is formed as sections of cones of steeper angle than those of the end sections.

Wal1s3030 of the central portion are curved V outwardly from side to side and join the ends 01' the central section, which sectionat its bottom 3| is semi-barrel shaped, as shown in Figs. 6 Walls 3li--3li gradually decrease in width from the semi-barrel shaped bottom portion to their tops as shown in Fig. 6. At their'widest part, walls ID are slightly narrower, from side to side, than the bottom pertion3l and thus form offsets 32.

Each wall 30 at its top is provided with a pouring opening 33 which is preferably curved and provided with an outwardly extending lip 34. Each end portion 35 is formed as the frustum of a cone having its apex positioned at point e. A circular plate 36 forms the top of each such frustum.

Circular plates 36 as well as the plate metal from which each end section 35 is formed, is preferably of much heavier gauge than the plate from which the central section is formed, since the end sections carry a built-up structure of which trunnions 31, 38 and 39 form part. The top of the ladle, in the modified form, is partially closed by two cone sections similar to those employed in the form of Figs. 1-5, inclusive, and Fig. 3 can be taken as a development of a section similar to one of these sections. As far as the top of the modified form of ladle is concerned, it is similar to the top of the form of Figs. 1-5 inclusive, except that walls 30-30 in which the pouring openings are formed and which form part of the ladle top, are outwardy curved or bowed from side to side.

The-ladle of both forms is supported in position on supports which ,form part of a transfer car of any suitable construction and such asis more or less diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The ladle shell of both forms is provided with a suitable refractory lining 4i and because oi! the form of the shell, this may be made up largely of standard refractory blocks, or bricks or if desired, the lining may be made of molded refractory material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mixer type ladle, a side wall which is substantially straight from its longitudinal central portion to its top, has a pouring opening in its top and from the ends of said central portion to said pouring opening is of decreasing main or central section assspsr width, and top walls which 'ioin said side wall along its portion of decreasing width, encloses part of the ladle top, and, with said sidewall forms a pouring spout of decreasing size which extends from the longitudinal center of the ladle to said pouring opening.

2. In a mixer type ladle, parallel side walls which are substantially straight above the longitudinal central portion of the ladle, each substantially straight wall having a pouring opening in its top, and each such substantially straight portion being of decreasing width from its bottom to its top, such substantially straight parallel walls along their portions of decreasing width, enclose part of theladle top, and with such side walls form opposed pouring spouts which decrease in size from the longitudinal center of the ladle top to said pouring openings.

3. A shell for a mixer type ladle comprising a central or main portion which is substantially U-shaped in transverse section with the straight legs thereof tapered from the curved bottom portion to the top thereof and provided with pouring openings in such tops, end portions of irustoconical form, and portions intermediate such end portions and the tapered parts of said straight legs; said intermediate portions enclosing part of the top of the ladle, and with said end portions and said straight legs forming spouts which decrease in size from the center of the ladle to said pouring openings.

4. In a mixer type ladle, a side wall which extends substantially vertically from its longitudinal central portion to its top, has a pouring opening in its top, and, from the ends of said central portion to said pouring opening is of decreasing width, and top walls which join said side wall along its portion of decreasing width, encloses part of the ladle top, and, with said side wall forms a pouring spout having its greatest width substantially equalling the greatest width of such side wall, and which decreases in size from the ends of such side wall to such pouring opening.

5. A mixer type ladle comprising a, central or main section having a semi-barrel shaped bottom portion, substantially vertically extending sides which extend above said bottom portion, decrease in width from said bottom portion to their tops and have pouring openings in their tops, end walls of frusto-conical form, and top walls which partially close the top of the ladle.

are formed as sections of cones, and which, with said end walls and said substantially vertical walls, form spouts that extend from the longitudinal center of the ladle to such pouring openings.

6. In a mixer type ladle, a substantially U- shaped central section having pouring openings in the top of the straight legs thereof; said straight legs being of decreasing width from the curved part of the central section to said pouring openings, end portions which connect with the curved part of the central section, and conical walls which join the upper half of each end portion and the tapered part of said legs, and which, with end portions and said legs form opposed pouring spouts, which are free from obstructions.

HARRY L. McFEA'I'ERS,

and top walls which ioin- 

